Month: July 2019

More than 250,000 Creative Kids vouchers have been downloaded in just six months, saving thousands of NSW families $100 per child off the cost of creative and cultural learning activities.
Minister for Customer Service Victor Dominello joined Member for Parramatta Geoff Lee at Creator Academy in Carlingford today to announce the milestone.
“Parents simply love Creative Kids and have given it the thumbs up. This voucher helps parents plan for creative and cultural activities, which can really add to a household budget,” Mr Dominello said.
“This is a significant milestone to help ease the cost of living, representing more than $25 million of savings going back into the pockets of NSW families.
“This program complements the hugely popular Active Kids vouchers which were doubled to two vouchers per child from July 1. For a family with two children, Creative and Active Kids vouchers combined will save you $600 per year.”
Mr Lee said involvement in creative and cultural learning activities is critical to a child’s growth and development – but enrolment costs can be expensive.
“School holidays are almost over and parents will be enrolling children in activities. This voucher can help unlock a child’s creative talent,” Mr Lee said.
Creative Kids brings a range of creative and cultural activities under the one umbrella, from creative arts and speech to drama, languages, digital design, coding as well as music. There are over 2,800 approved Creative Kids providers across over 2,600 locations in NSW.
There are more than 70 NSW Government cost of living rebates and savings available, including Active Kids vouchers, Toll Relief, CTP refunds and Energy Switch. The average saving from Service NSW’s cost of living appointment service per customer is $550, with households eligible for up to $2000 in savings.
Over the last year, more than $800 million in savings has been delivered to people across NSW through the Cost of Living program. More than $1 billion in savings is expected to be given back to households across NSW over the next year.
The following table lists the Sydney suburbs (north, south, east, west) with the most downloads.

Region	Suburb	Downloads
North	Carlingford	1,890
South	Engadine	1,526
East	Clovelly	1,410
West	Baulkham Hills	2,774

For more information on the Creative Kids program visit www.service.nsw.gov.au/campaign/creative-kids

Police have established a secure perimeter inside a juvenile justice centre at Kariong following a disturbance, which has left seven detainees injured.
About 8.30pm (Sunday 21 July 2019), officers from Brisbane Water Police District were called to the facility following reports a number of detainees assaulted other juveniles.
An 18-year-old, who suffered stab wounds and facial injuries was transported by NSW Ambulance paramedics to Royal North Shore Hospital in a serious condition.
Another 18-year-old suffered stab wounds to his head and hands; a 20-year-old suffered facial and hand injuries; a 17-year-old had facial and head injuries; while another 20-year-old suffered injuries to his hand, leg, and arm.
Another 17-year-old dislocated his ankle after jumping off a roof.
They have all been taken to Gosford Hospital for treatment.
A seventh juvenile was later treated at the scene for a broken nose.
Additional resources have been deployed from neighbouring police districts, as well as the Public Order and Riot Squad, Operations Support Group, Dog Unit, PolAir, Traffic and Highway Patrol Command, the Rescue and Bomb Disposal Unit, and other specialist resources.
Police have established a cordon, restricting the armed detainees to a building within the complex, as negotiations continue.
Investigations into the assaults are underway, with a number of crime scenes established within the centre.
All detainees have been accounted for, and the external security of the facility was not compromised.

The NSW Police Force has announced the establishment of a new unit to investigate and coordinate long-term missing persons cases.
In 2017, as part of re-engineering, NSW Police Commissioner Michael Fuller initiated a comprehensive review and analysis of the Missing Persons Unit (MPU) functions.
The review identified various areas for improvement and recommended significant structural and procedural changes to meet current and future demands.
Commissioner Fuller has announced Project Aletheia, a State Crime Command-led initiative, to dissolve the MPU and implement a new structure that will draw on the expertise of specialist detectives and analysts.
“It is clear that change is needed, and I have delegated responsibility to the State Crime Command to ensure we can do everything we can to put policies, procedures, and checkpoints in place to rectify past problems and create solutions for now and into the future,” Commissioner Fuller said.
“To have a loved one go missing has a devastating impact on the person’s family and friends and while police do an outstanding job in providing support for the families, we are committed to providing outcomes.
“It needs to be acknowledged that families of missing persons have not been given the answers they have been seeking, and this is not acceptable.
“We owe it to the people of NSW to deliver better outcomes for families of missing persons and vulnerable people who are most at risk of going missing – those living with a mental illness, young people, and older people with dementia or memory loss – to ensure every opportunity is explored to find loved ones – wherever they may be,” Commissioner Fuller said.
Project Aletheia will involve the formation of the Missing Persons Registry (MPR) within State Crime Command in a new state-of-the-art facility, which is currently under development.
A team of seven detectives and four analysts – including those with qualifications and expertise in psychology and data matching – will work to resolve current long-term missing person cases and provide assistance to frontline police to improve the initial response to missing persons reports.
State Crime Commander, Acting Assistant Commissioner Stuart Smith, said the MPR will utilise cutting edge technology and leverage techniques used in the investigations of serious and organised crime.
“Project Aletheia – meaning seeker of truth – is the largest missing persons data matching project in Australia and will revolutionise the way missing persons cases are managed and investigated,” Acting Assistant Commissioner Smith said.
“The first process – which is expected to take months – is to digitise existing records and implement new systems.
“We are going to use every technological advancement available to us – whether that be ancestral mapping or biometric photos – that are capable of generating matches – to locate people and provide answers in cases which date back more than 60 years.
“With technology advancing every day, we will be innovative in the way we pursue investigations and continue to seek new developments in the future to solve cases,” Acting Assistant Commissioner Smith said.
In recent months – and through the implementation of new systems under Project Aletheia – more than 30 cases have been resolved, with 13 people located offshore or interstate.
In addition, a joint-agency project between officers from the NSW Police Force and forensic and scientific experts from NSW Health Pathology, which was established in March 2018, will continue to progress the resolution of unidentified human remains cases.
“This is a complex project, which begins with the reconciliation of records – many of which are historic and in hard copy – followed by various forensic processes and inquiries to find a match,” Acting Assistant Commissioner Smith said.
‘We are committed to ensuring the most effective and efficient allocation of resources in order the maximise our capability and provide answers to families of missing persons.”
The MPR will be a stand-alone investigative unit, reporting directly to the Director of Crime Operations, and will draw upon the expertise of specialist investigators across the NSW Police Force and law enforcement and intelligence partners both here and abroad.

The Morrison and Berejiklian Governments are continuing to invest in cyber security, with the launch of a new hub to drive innovation and economic growth in the sector.
The NSW Cyber Security Innovation Node joins five other state and territory nodes created in partnership with AustCyber.
Federal Minister for Industry, Science and Technology Karen Andrews said the new node was another important step in developing an industry that would boost Australia’s economy and create jobs.
“This new node in Sydney, backed by AustCyber and the NSW Government, will bring together startups, corporations, universities, researchers and government agencies to share expertise and create new ideas,” Minister Andrews said.
“The Morrison Government is determined to reap the rewards of the rapidly growing global cyber security market which is expected to be worth US$250 billion by 2026.
“We want to generate more investment and more jobs for Australians.”
NSW Minister for Finance and Small Business Damien Tudehope said NSW was Australia’s leading user of cyber security products and services and home to the nation’s largest fintech industry.
“A cyber security network without NSW would not truly be a national network.
“Together with our launch of the NSW Cyber Security Industry Development Strategy last year, the establishment of the node is a further important step taken by the NSW Government towards strengthening our cyber capabilities,” Mr Tudehope said.
The NSW Cyber Security Innovation Node will be co-located with and complement the Joint Cyber Security Centre in Sydney, which has a focus on threat information sharing.
It joins a network of nodes backed by AustCyber and state/territory governments already established in Victoria, the ACT, Western Australia, South Australia and Tasmania.
Growing the cyber security sector is part of the Morrison Government’s broader plan to grow the economy and create 1.25 million new jobs over the next five years.